The Office of the Register of Deeds (noted often hereafter, as ROD) was established in Wisconsin in 1836. Before that, land registration was handled by the Register in Probate. The 1848 Wisconsin Constitution established the ROD as a permanent element of the county-level governmental structure. Each county in Wisconsin has a Register of Deeds.

The Register of Deeds files, records, and issues instruments and documents of significance both to the community as a whole and to its individual citizens. Vital records document the span of our lives from birth to death. Land records documenting title in Wisconsin are maintained.

The filing or recording of other documents with the ROD is a way of putting the world on notice that something important has happened or will happen. The time of the act or transaction is often an important element in rights or relationships. The ROD records the time when, in effect, the public record is established.